Shtokman will come with LNG part
-I can’t even imagine in the scariest dream that Shtokman will be built without LNG, Gazprom’s head of export Aleksandr Medvedev told journalists in London today.
With today’s statement, Aleksandr Medvedev dismiss all earlier speculations that Gazprom might go for a first phase development of the huge gas field in the Barents Sea including only pipe-gas.
Last February, the partners in Shtokman Development had a meeting in Switzerland where the future plans for the LNG part of Shtokman was discussed. The background for the meeting was the last year’s dramatic changes in the gas prices and the shift in the US gas marked from import of LNG to more development of domestic shale gas.
Aleksandr Medvedev visited London simultaneously as Russia’s Foreign Minister Serge Lavrov had bi-lateral talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Qouted by Reuters from the press conference in London, Gazprom’s head of export replied to the question on the possibilities to skip the LNG part of Shtokman with much self confidence: - I can’t even imagine in the scariest dream that Shtokman will be built without LNG, Medvedev said.
He assured that a decision on “go-ahead” with the Shtokman project will be taken later this year. Gazprom, and its partners Total and Statoil, are currently drawing the plans and cost-calculations for the project.
Read also: Shtokman LNG can be re-routed to Europe
Shtokman will – if developed – be the single largest field for supplying the North Stream pipeline currently under construction with gas from Russia to Europe.
Gazprom says at their project portal for Shtokman that the field also will be of strategic importance for LNG shipments to the markets in the Atlantic basin.
Shtokman gas field is located some 600 kilometres north of the Kola Peninsula in the Barents Sea. The onshore facilities for pipe-gas and LNG will be built in Teriberka, north of Murmansk.
Read also: LNG terminal and supply base for Murmansk
Just before Christmas, BarentsObserver reported that Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin assured the European market that Shtokman will be developed despite the current turbulence in global economy and diving gas prices.
